1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a poly(bisoxalamide) and a process for preparing and article comprising the poly(bisoxalamide).
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoplastic elastomers can be characterized as being polymers that combine elastic properties of an elastomer and processability characteristics of a thermoplastic material. Chemical and material industries desire such a combination of properties and characteristics, but many polymers have elastic properties and not thermoplastic characteristics and other polymers have thermoplastic characteristics and not elastic properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,615 mentions, among other things, a certain polyoxalamide that is useful as a thermoplastic adhesive. The polyoxalamide is prepared by first reacting a certain polyoxypropylene polyamine with oxalic acid to give a liquid prepolymer comprising residuals thereof, and then reacting the liquid prepolymer with a certain diamine to give the polyoxalamide. Also mentioned is that it is important that the sequence of reactions be followed as just described, namely first the preparation of a prepolymer followed by further reaction with a diamine to produce the final polyoxalamide. U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,615 mentions the polyoxypropylene polyamine is a diamine, triamine, or a mixture thereof, having an average molecular weight of about 190 to 3,000. The polyoxypropylene diamine is of the formula:
wherein y is a number of from 2 to 40, whereas the diamine that is reacted with the liquid prepolymer is of a different formula, the latter diamine being of the formula: H2N—(C2-C18)hydrocarbon diradical —NH2.
Patent Publication Number WO 91/13930 A1 mentions, among other things, a certain segmented block copolymer comprising non-crystallizable segments and partly crystallizable segments, the partly crystallizable segments being of a certain structural formula as described therein. The segmented block copolymer is not a polyoxalamide and does not comprise residuals of oxalic acid.
Patent Publication Number US 2008/0262618 A1 mentions, among other things, a biocompatible segmented thermoplastic elastomer having crystallizable blocks and at least one functional component that is able to reversibly bond to the crystallized blocks, wherein the elastomer has cartilage regenerative properties. The segmented thermoplastic elastomer is not a polyoxalamide and does not comprise residuals of oxalic acid, but is a thermoplastic elastomeric polyurethane.
Patent Publication Number WO 2008/150970 mentions, among other things, molecularly self-assembling material that is a copolymer that can be, among other things, a polyester-amide, polyether-amide, polyester-urethane, polyether-urethane, polyether-urea, polyester-urea, or a mixture thereof.
Chemical and material industries desire new thermoplastic elastomeric polymers that have elastic properties of an elastomer and processability characteristics of a thermoplastic material. Preferably, the new thermoplastic elastomeric polymers possess improved properties such as, for example, being easily, and preferably reversibly, melt processable and yet exhibiting toughness and durability at application use temperatures.